Shuttle XPC SZ170R8 V2: Small but Powerful

Compact, efficient and incredibly powerful if you spring for the right parts, the Shuttle XPS SZ170R8 V2 has a lot going for it. The small form factor of the motherboard does not take away from its power. Even better is its capability as a portable machine.

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Japanese cake brand, Anime Sugar, has a tradition of releasing Christmas-themed anime cakes every holiday season, and they have announced something huge for one of this year’s biggest and most popular TV anime, Re:Zero. For their Re:Zero campaign, they are not only offering some cake, but also a special Re:Zero non-alcoholic champaigne, and a dakimakura featuring...

A new report claims that Apple has sent its top executives to meet with major retailers in Russia for discussions concerning the iPhone. The company supposedly wants to expand its presence in the market ahead of the expected launch of two new iPhones next month.

Similar discussions were held in China recently as well, though in that case Apple CEO Tim Cook had flown down personally. There, he met with China Telecom, which is one of the biggest partner Apple has in the country. Cook also met with China Mobile, the world’s largest carrier, to get them to finally start offering the iPhone. China Mobile has confirmed the talks and says that it is keen on selling the iPhone. In this case, it hasn’t been said that Cook has gone to Russia himself.

It has been reported time and again that short supply issues exist in Russia, as one major distributor essentially controls the entire supply. Svyaznoy is the lone distributor in Russia that Apple officially deals with, it supplies stock to both offline and online retailers in the country. Ironing out the supply chain in Russia is likely to aid the iPhone’s growth. One source claims that Apple will definitely talk to different retailers and the focus of these talks will be to get more active with the iPhone in Russia. These discussions come at a time when the company is rumored to launch two brand new smartphones early next month.

It remains to be seen how long Apple takes to bring both of these smartphones to Russia, traditionally it has brought new iPhones to the country two or three months after the initial launch. It makes perfect sense for the company to be involved in such discussions right now, this would help pave the way for a smooth launch of Apple’s new iPhones in the country later this year.